Tongs



H. D. DEAM.

TONGS.

APPLICATION FILED AuG.4, 1919.

1,376,323. Patented Apr. 26, 1921.

UNITED STATES ATENT OFFICE.

HENRY D. DEAIYI, OF BENTON HARBOR, MICHIGAN.

TONGS.

Original application filed .Tune 17, 1918, Serial No. 240,313.

T 0 all w homy t may concern Be it known that I, HENRY D. DEAM, a citizen of the United States, residing at Benton Harbor, in the county of Berrien and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Tongs, of which the following is a speoilication.

This invention relates to apparatus to be used in assisting to salvage sunken ships, boats, and other property, and has for its object providing suitable apparatus for applying or attaching the elevating apparatus to the sunken objects. When boats are sunk in deep water it is a diiiicult matter to attach to the boat apparatus which will not pull loose when the attempt is made to raise the boat. In view of this I have provided apparatus comprising improved means for gripping or connecting to the boat.

The accompanying drawing is an elevation or the apparatus which I have provided, showing the operating means attached thereto, all of which embody the features of my invention.

The grappling apparatus which I provide comprises a. pair of tongs having pivoted jaws 1, each having a handle 2. Attached to each handle is a pulley 3. By means of these pulleys a cable l supports the tongs, when being lowered or attached or raised. The ends ofthis cable pass upwardly to a scow or other buoyant means in which the operator is located, and are fixed to any suitable hoisting means such as a windlass. When tension is applied to the cable the handles will tend to close the jaws, and in this manner some suitable portion of the sunken vessel may be gripped, and the greater the tension on the cables the greater Vthe gripping power of the tongs.

In order to control better the opening and closing of the jaws, either when gripping a portion of the boat or when releasing the tongs from the boat, or for any other purpose, I provide links 5 pivoted to the respective handles and to each other, and a cable 6 which is clamped to one of the links by means of a clamp 7, and passes upwardly to the scow. By pulling upwardly on this cable the jaws will tend to close. However, the cable passes downwardly from the clamp, around a pulley 8 pivotally connected to the tongs by means of a link 9, and by pulling up on the right hand strand of the cable 6 the tongs will be opened, and the inner ends of the links will be pulled down Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 26, 1921.

Divided and this application led August 4,

Serial No. 315,138.

below a line passing through the outer ends, and thus the tongs will be locked open. It will thus be seen that, by means of the strands of the cable 6, the tongs may be opened and closed at pleasure and projecting beams or other suitable portions of the boat may be grasped thereby.

I have not in this application thought it necessary to illustrate and describe the special manner in which the tongs may be operated by elevating means and the like, or the particular method of applying tongs to a sunken boat, as these matters have been fully disclosed in my copending application Serial Number 232,677, filed May 6, 1918, of which this application is a division. It will be understood, however, that as many tongs as may be desired may be used in elevating the sunken vessel, and any other suitable apparatus or method for connecting to the boat may be used in conjunction with the tongs. l

I claim as my invention:

l. In salvaging apparatus a pair of tongs having jaws and handles, a pulley pivoted to the end of each handle, a link pivoted by one end to each handle, the other end of said links being pivotally connected, and means for raising and lowering the connected ends of said links, whereby the jaws of said tongs may be opened or closed.

2. In salvaging apparatus a pair'of tongs having handles, and jaws Xed to the handles, a pulley pivoted to the end of each handle, a link pivoted by one end to each handle` the other ends of said links being pivotally connected, means for raising and lowerino' the connected ends of said links whereby the jaws of said tongs may be opened or closed, and a cable passing partly around one of said pulleys and extending across and partly around the other of said pulleys, and extending upwardly from each of said pulleys, whereby said tongs may be raised and lowered and the jaws of the tongs will tend to close when said cable is pulled upwardly.

3. In salvaging apparatus gripping means, means for opening and closing said means and for locking said means open, and means tending to close said gripping means for elevating said gripping means.

In testimony whereof, I hereunto set my hand. 

